introducing the chorus to atonal music - acda.org _1975_kramme_j_i.pdf · highly chromatic works of...

6
A STUDY OF ANTON WEBERN'S ENTFLIEHT AUF LEICHTEN KAHNEN, OPUS TWO Introducing the Chorus to Atonal Music JOEL I. KRAMME 808 West Tenth Street Rolla, Missouri 65401 ASSESSING THE PROBLEM This paper proceeds with the assump- tion that many chorus participants of all ages find the rehearsal and perform- ance of atonal music to be both difficult and musically unrewarding.. Unfortunate- ly, this opinion is often held by many conductors who must then approach the rehearsal of atonal works with great reservation or neglect them entirely. While the reader should not expect a complete lesson plan for the rehearsal of Entflieht auf Leichten Kahnen in the ensuing pages, it is hoped that the con- ductor/teacher wUI find the following style analysis helpful in developing an understanding of Webern's Opus Two. A constant effort will be made to relate all findings of the style analysis to the aesthetic content of the work, it being the author's contention that students will nearly always accept an unfamiliar idea or art if they are led to reach a total understanding of the forces involved in its creation and can apply that under- standing in a meaningful recreation of the music. THE NEGLECT OF CONTEMPORARY MUSIC The term contemporary is here applied to all serious music written since the turn of the century, and generally ex- cludes that of a popular nature. Nor does the term include that variety of school music to which Norman DelIo Joio refers as ". . . saccharine arrangements and sentimental claptrap." (1) Atonal music is defined " ... as that music produced by Webern, Schoenberg and Berg after 1910 which makes a conscious effort not to relate to a specific tonal center." (2) The current neglect of contemporary music stems in part from a real lack of enthusiasm by concert audiences. R. Ro- bert Hornyak, in a study concerned with student attitudes towards contemporary American music reports, In general, audiences tend to react less favorably to music employing great amounts of dissonance, pointil- lism, angular melody and atonality. Audiences also tend to hear lyrical melodies supported by dissonant har- Box 4012, Champaign, IL 61820 Choral music of ALL publishers Scores--Books--Records Sole selling agent for: Editio Relios, Consort Press, Marko Press, Fostco Press. mony as melodies which are angular or disjointed. (3) The indifference of the public towards contemporary music will be replaced with enthusiasm only when understanding and aesthetic meaning replace the present level of ignorance and non-involvement with the aesthetic content of the music. The solution to the problem must begin with the education of the performers be- fore any progress can be expected' in changing the attitudes shared by concert audiences. " ... Webern might not titillate a civic group, but then we must ask ourselves if simply appealing to the low- est levels of musical taste is part of being a genuine teacher."(4) There are many reasons why contem- porary music is often found lacking in the repertories of school choral groups. Gene Lacey, in a recent article in The Instrumentalist,(5) suggests that many di- rectors lack adequate theoretical prepa- ration to deal with the problems often confronted in twentieth century music. Among the problems he lists is the con- stantly shifting tonal center, and the unusual scale patterns which it often generates, scale patterns which run coun- ter to traditional formulas. In addition, Lacey calls attention to the frequent apparent lack of theme repetition and the consequent concentrated forms which of- ten result. The implications of this prob- lem for the director are twofold: since recurrent melodic themes are either not present or are disguised to the point of obscurity, he must now invest an unpro- portionate amount of time in discovering the structural importance of all non- melodic material. Having prepared him- self thoroughly, he is now expected to spend hours of valuable time preparing his chorus. The result is often a work which takes less than three minutes to perform, leaving the director with nearly a full program for which he must yet prepare. It is easy to understand the reluctance of some choral directors to perform atonal music. Of the many reasons often cited for not performing contemporary music, the pragmatic concern with preparation time for both conductor and chorus is probably the most valid. But like the problem, the solution is also twofold: if a conductor recognizes that he lacks theoretical back- ground in any style period, he has taken the first step in solving the problem. The second step is obvious: there are many fine universities and colleges which offer formal course work in contemporary music analysis and literature both during the normal school year and the summer session. If the conductor cannot take advantage of these opportunities, there are many books and journals available which offer valuable insights into the performance problems of twentieth cen- tury music.(6) A choral group which lacks adequate theoretical training should not attempt to perform music of an atonal nature but should, instead, concentrate its ef- forts in building a bridge between the highly chromatic works of the late ro- mantic period - embodied in such com- posers as Max Reger and Anton Bruck- ner - to the early atonal works of Schoenberg, Berg and Webern.(7) Once the gap between the two styles has been bridged, the resulting repertoire should be maintained and enlarged to give the group an ever increasing ability to per- form in a highly chromatic idiom. In addition, the members of the group will develop a historical perspective which will recognize the logical evolution of extreme chromaticism to atonal disson- ance. WEBERN'S OPUS TWO Entflieht auf Leichten Kahnen was completed in 1908 when Web ern was at the age of twenty-five, and two years after he had finished his university edu- cation in Vienna.(8) The piece is scored for four-part unaccompanied chorus and employs a text by Stefan George. Though the writing style is highly chromatic, the Opus Two was tonally conceived in the key of G major.(9) The work " ... is as important in the development of the com- poser's style as it is in the history of the development of style in general at the time he wrote it."(10) While the soprano part has a notated A on the first leger line above the treble staff, the tessituras of all the parts are not exceptionally high and large interval leaps occur infre- quently. In short, Entflieht auf Leichten Kahnen occupies a unique position for the historian and the performer in that it contains elements of both the tonal and atonal styles of its composer and, aside from the dissonance created by the highly chromatic contrapuntal parts, the piece presents no insurmountable per- formance problems. There are several less important (though pragmatic) reasons why We- bern's Opus Two was selected for use in this study. First, it is readily avail- able in a performance edition (11) and in recorded form.(12) Secondly, it is brief, with performance time lasting about two and one-half minutes. And lastly, the performance edition contains a complete piano reduction. ANALYTICAL APPROACH The analytical procedure used for this study is ouWned in Jan LaRue's Guide- lines for Style Analysis. (13) The book sets forth a logical approach to talking about any specific musical work and represents a distillation of LaRue's ex- perience, rather than a theoretical me- thod. "It presents a framework for un- derstanding based directly on the notes themselves, and the whole substance with- in this framework might be regarded as a summary, translated into words, of a wide range of musical procedures." (14) The author regards music as a growth process resulting from the largely mo- mentary impressions that are felt as movement and the cumulative effects of this movement that are retained by the listener as a sense of musical shape."(15) In addition to the guidelines mentioned above, the present author has attempted to use the results of the analysis to recommend certain rehearsal procedures. The guiding philosophy behind this ef- fort is described in Bennett Reimer's recent book, A Philosophy of Music Edu- cation. (16) Reimer takes the view that the meaning and value of music are to be found in the aesthetic qualities of each work, not in any extramusical idea or reference that a listener might think is implied by 'the sounds. Calling his philosophy "Absolute Expressionismj"(17) Reimer describes the similarity between the quality of a work's aesthetic com- THE CHORAL JOURNAL

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Page 1: Introducing the Chorus to Atonal Music - acda.org _1975_Kramme_J_I.pdf · highly chromatic works of the late ro- ... sets forth a logical approach to talking ... triadic harmony

A STUDY OF ANTON WEBERN'S

ENTFLIEHT AUF LEICHTEN KAHNEN, OPUS TWO

Introducing the Chorus to Atonal Music

JOEL I. KRAMME

808 West Tenth StreetRolla, Missouri 65401

ASSESSING THE PROBLEM

This paper proceeds with the assump-tion that many chorus participants ofall ages find the rehearsal and perform-ance of atonal music to be both difficultand musically unrewarding.. Unfortunate-ly, this opinion is often held by manyconductors who must then approach therehearsal of atonal works with greatreservation or neglect them entirely.While the reader should not expect acomplete lesson plan for the rehearsalof Entflieht auf Leichten Kahnen in theensuing pages, it is hoped that the con-ductor/teacher wUI find the followingstyle analysis helpful in developing anunderstanding of Webern's Opus Two. Aconstant effort will be made to relateall findings of the style analysis to theaesthetic content of the work, it beingthe author's contention that students willnearly always accept an unfamiliar ideaor art if they are led to reach a totalunderstanding of the forces involved inits creation and can apply that under-standing in a meaningful recreation ofthe music.

THE NEGLECT OFCONTEMPORARY MUSIC

The term contemporary is here appliedto all serious music written since theturn of the century, and generally ex-cludes that of a popular nature. Nor doesthe term include that variety of schoolmusic to which Norman DelIo Joio refersas ". . . saccharine arrangements andsentimental claptrap." (1) Atonal musicis defined "... as that music producedby Webern, Schoenberg and Berg after1910 which makes a conscious effort notto relate to a specific tonal center." (2)The current neglect of contemporary

music stems in part from a real lack ofenthusiasm by concert audiences. R. Ro-bert Hornyak, in a study concerned withstudent attitudes towards contemporaryAmerican music reports,In general, audiences tend to reactless favorably to music employinggreat amounts of dissonance, pointil-lism, angular melody and atonality.Audiences also tend to hear lyricalmelodies supported by dissonant har-

Box 4012, Champaign, IL 61820

Choral music of ALL publishers

Scores--Books--Records

Sole selling agent for:

Editio Relios, Consort Press,Marko Press, Fostco Press.

mony as melodies which are angularor disjointed. (3)The indifference of the public towards

contemporary music will be replaced withenthusiasm only when understanding andaesthetic meaning replace the presentlevel of ignorance and non-involvementwith the aesthetic content of the music.The solution to the problem must beginwith the education of the performers be-fore any progress can be expected' inchanging the attitudes shared by concertaudiences. "... Webern might not titillatea civic group, but then we must askourselves if simply appealing to the low-est levels of musical taste is part ofbeing a genuine teacher."(4)There are many reasons why contem-

porary music is often found lacking inthe repertories of school choral groups.Gene Lacey, in a recent article in TheInstrumentalist,(5) suggests that many di-rectors lack adequate theoretical prepa-ration to deal with the problems oftenconfronted in twentieth century music.Among the problems he lists is the con-stantly shifting tonal center, and theunusual scale patterns which it oftengenerates, scale patterns which run coun-ter to traditional formulas. In addition,Lacey calls attention to the frequentapparent lack of theme repetition and theconsequent concentrated forms which of-ten result. The implications of this prob-lem for the director are twofold: sincerecurrent melodic themes are either notpresent or are disguised to the point ofobscurity, he must now invest an unpro-portionate amount of time in discoveringthe structural importance of all non-melodic material. Having prepared him-self thoroughly, he is now expected tospend hours of valuable time preparinghis chorus. The result is often a workwhich takes less than three minutes toperform, leaving the director with nearlya full program for which he must yetprepare. It is easy to understand thereluctance of some choral directors toperform atonal music.Of the many reasons often cited for

not performing contemporary music, thepragmatic concern with preparation timefor both conductor and chorus is probablythe most valid. But like the problem, thesolution is also twofold: if a conductorrecognizes that he lacks theoretical back-ground in any style period, he has takenthe first step in solving the problem.The second step is obvious: there aremany fine universities and colleges whichoffer formal course work in contemporarymusic analysis and literature both duringthe normal school year and the summersession. If the conductor cannot takeadvantage of these opportunities, thereare many books and journals availablewhich offer valuable insights into theperformance problems of twentieth cen-tury music.(6)A choral group which lacks adequate

theoretical training should not attemptto perform music of an atonal naturebut should, instead, concentrate its ef-forts in building a bridge between thehighly chromatic works of the late ro-mantic period - embodied in such com-posers as Max Reger and Anton Bruck-

ner - to the early atonal works ofSchoenberg, Berg and Webern.(7) Oncethe gap between the two styles has beenbridged, the resulting repertoire shouldbe maintained and enlarged to give thegroup an ever increasing ability to per-form in a highly chromatic idiom. Inaddition, the members of the group willdevelop a historical perspective whichwill recognize the logical evolution ofextreme chromaticism to atonal disson-ance.

WEBERN'S OPUS TWO

Entflieht auf Leichten Kahnen wascompleted in 1908 when Webern was atthe age of twenty-five, and two yearsafter he had finished his university edu-cation in Vienna.(8) The piece is scoredfor four-part unaccompanied chorus andemploys a text by Stefan George. Thoughthe writing style is highly chromatic, theOpus Two was tonally conceived in thekey of G major.(9) The work "... is asimportant in the development of the com-poser's style as it is in the history of thedevelopment of style in general at thetime he wrote it."(10) While the sopranopart has a notated A on the first legerline above the treble staff, the tessiturasof all the parts are not exceptionallyhigh and large interval leaps occur infre-quently. In short, Entflieht auf LeichtenKahnen occupies a unique position forthe historian and the performer in thatit contains elements of both the tonaland atonal styles of its composer and,aside from the dissonance created by thehighly chromatic contrapuntal parts, thepiece presents no insurmountable per-formance problems.There are several less important

(though pragmatic) reasons why We-bern's Opus Two was selected for usein this study. First, it is readily avail-able in a performance edition (11) and inrecorded form.(12) Secondly, it is brief,with performance time lasting about twoand one-half minutes. And lastly, theperformance edition contains a completepiano reduction.

ANALYTICAL APPROACH

The analytical procedure used for thisstudy is ouWned in Jan LaRue's Guide-lines for Style Analysis. (13) The booksets forth a logical approach to talkingabout any specific musical work andrepresents a distillation of LaRue's ex-perience, rather than a theoretical me-thod. "It presents a framework for un-derstanding based directly on the notesthemselves, and the whole substance with-in this framework might be regarded asa summary, translated into words, of awide range of musical procedures." (14)The author regards music as a growthprocess resulting from the largely mo-mentary impressions that are felt asmovement and the cumulative effects ofthis movement that are retained by thelistener as a sense of musical shape."(15)In addition to the guidelines mentioned

above, the present author has attemptedto use the results of the analysis torecommend certain rehearsal procedures.The guiding philosophy behind this ef-fort is described in Bennett Reimer'srecent book, A Philosophy of Music Edu-cation. (16) Reimer takes the view thatthe meaning and value of music are tobe found in the aesthetic qualities ofeach work, not in any extramusical ideaor reference that a listener might thinkis implied by 'the sounds. Calling hisphilosophy "Absolute Expressionismj"(17)Reimer describes the similarity betweenthe quality of a work's aesthetic com-

THE CHORAL JOURNAL

Page 2: Introducing the Chorus to Atonal Music - acda.org _1975_Kramme_J_I.pdf · highly chromatic works of the late ro- ... sets forth a logical approach to talking ... triadic harmony

Sponsored by an Urban Life Center Grant and theDepartment of Music, Georgia State University,Atlanta.

Credit: Four hours of Continuing Education UnitsLodging: Lodging is available in nearby hotels and motels.

Meals are available on campus.

with

GREGG SMITHLLOYD PFAUTSCHJOHN REEVES WHITEJOHN B. HABERLEN

nearly random occurrence of traditionaltriadic harmony. Of the chords that doappear, many either have an augmentedor diminished fifth as part of their struc-ture, or, if the perfect fifth is presentwith the third of the chord, they occuron a weak beat.One should not, however, conclude

from the previous paragraph that theharmony of Entflieht auf Leichten Kan-nen has no structural importance. MerrilK. Bradshaw in his dissertation dealingwith Webern's early works(25) concludesthat the implied harmony generated byeach canonic voice-pair falls within therealm of conventional harmonic progres-sions, and when the two canonic voice-pairs are combinedthe overlapping effect caused by thedisplacement of parts in the canonictexture shifts each of the little cellsof tonal activity into vertical align-ment with some part of the G ninthchord. The ambiguity . . . may thusbe said to result from playing off thetonal implications of the smaIIer celIsagainst the tonal implications of thechord they prolong. (26)

The resulting G ninth chord thus be-comes a "chord of nature", with its ma-jor third and minor seventh being de-rived directly from the overtone se-ries.(27)

MELODY

Mention has already been made of

Featuring reading sessions, vocal techniques for young singers,

rehearsal and conducting techniques, lectures on choral diction,

American music, and performance practices of Renaissance and

Baroque music.

Dates: June 23 through June 27,1975

Cost: $55

For more detailed information write:

Dr. John B. Haberlen, DirectorAtlanta Choral WorkshopGeorgia State UniversityUniversity PlazaAtlanta, Georgia 30303

The Department of MusicGEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITYpresents the

and falling melodic curve. The third sec-tion has a similar texture to that ofthe first until the coda in measuretwenty-five is reached, and the bass isdivisi. The resulting five-part texture isstill heard as four since the fifth partis a G pedal.

HARMONY

The function of Webern's harmony inOpus Two is both structural and colorific.While there is much chromaticism usedthroughout the work, there is a markedincrease in the middle section owing tothe expanded use of sixteenth notes. Theintensified use of color is one means ofachieving contrast between the majordivisions of Entflieht auf Leichten Kah-nen.The opening harmony of the A section

and its return clearly outline the G tonalcenter. This tonal approach becomes evenmore convincing when the final G majortriad is reached. A further claim forstructural importance in the resultingharmony is indicated by an apparent Ftriad outline in the bass voice in measuresthree through five, a G minor triad inmeasures five through seven and a Dminor triad in measures seven throughnine. This G major half-cadence isstrengthened by the unresolved F-sharpin measure six of the soprano. (24) Gen-eralIy, when strict vertical or chordalanalysis is applied to the entire work,the results would seem to indicate a

SOUND AND GENERAL

DESCRIPTION

The text of Entflieht auf LeichtenK'ahnen is one of the Dances"from Stefan George's collection of poems,The Year of the Soul (1897).(19) A trans-lation of the text is:Take flight in light banksfrom tipsy, sunny worlds,that ever milder tearsreward you for your flight.Watch without ecstasyhow the intoxication of blondlight-blue dream powersand drunken passions unfoldsso that the new sweet tremblingwill not envelope you with new sorrowLet silent sadnessfill this spring.

The music is cast in three-part fromwith the A section concluding in measurenine and the return of the A sectionbeginning on the last beat of measureseventeen.The first section is a two-part canonwith each of the two parts doubledat a third or sixth below: but, be-cause of the inconsistencies in thedoubling, it may possibly also be con-sidered as two simultaneous two-partcanons.(23)

The B section is a four-part canon witheach successive voice entering a fourthhigher (soprano), an octave lower (bass),and a fifth lower (tenor). In both canons,Webern pairs the two upper voices andthe two lower voices in a manner similarto that often found in much Renaissance'vocal polyphony. More will be said ofthis similarity later.One means Webern uses to provide

contrast between the major divisions ofOpus Two is texture. By doubling themelody at the third or sixth in the Asection and its return, the composer isable to reduce the music to essentiaIIya two-part texture. While Webernachieves a visual pairing in the middlesection by first bringing in the twoupper parts, the combined effect· is oneof a four-part texture. The fabric ismade even more obvious by using amelody which has a continuous rising

ponents and the quality inherent in allhuman experience.When one shares in the qualities con-tained in an art work's aestheticcontent, one is also sharing in thequalities of which alI human experi-ence is made. The relation betweenthe qualities of the art work and thequalities of human experience is feltby the perceiver of the work as 'sig-nificance'. To the degree that an artwork contains aesthetic qualitieswhich are convincing, vital, keen,and to the degree that these qualitiescan be experienced by the perceiver,the significance of the experience -the relation of the aesthetic qualitiesto the qualities of life will beconvincing, vital, keen. The residueof sharing the significant aestheticqualities of the art work is a deepersense of the nature of human life.(l8)

THE STUDY

Style analysis is an exploration of allthe nuances at work in musical content,and therefore is basic to an understand-ing of music and its expressive subtleties.The present study arises from a basicconviction that music rehearsals can be

in order that the student canexplore and discover all the expressivesubtleties of the work.

APRIL 1975 9

Page 3: Introducing the Chorus to Atonal Music - acda.org _1975_Kramme_J_I.pdf · highly chromatic works of the late ro- ... sets forth a logical approach to talking ... triadic harmony

INTRODUCING

some of the peaks and lows found inthe melodic fabric of Opus Two. start-ing at a low point in the first measurewith D above middle C, the sopranoreaches over an octave to E in measurestwo and three, F in measure four, andF-sharp in measure six. In the returnof the A material at measure seventeen,a similar peaking of the melody is found,except that the high F, like the E be-fore it, is reached twice through a se-quential motive and the F-sharp is omit-ted in lieu of the A in measure twenty-three, the highpoint of the piece. Afterthe apex is reached, Webern winds downthe work by using secondary peaks onfourth space E, fourth line D-sharp, fifthline F-sharp and third line B-flat, "sothe peaks are spaced in time and space

in such a way as to make the point ofclimax very effective." (28)

Most of the melodic intervals encount-ered in Opus Two are major or minorseconds.(29) The prevalence of this inter-val can be related in part to its use ina motive which is employed frequentlythroughout the piece. This motive takeson thematic importance beginning inmeasure eleven of the alto part of sec-tion B. The figure is characterized bythree tones, usually chromatic but nearlyalways some combination of minor ormajor seconds, of short but equal valuefollowed by a leap to a fourth pitch oflonger value. Sometimes, as in measureeleven, an accented appogiatura takesthe place of the pitch of longer value.Using the soprano part (since all partscan be related one to another), we findthis motive in measures eleven, twelve,

fourteen and fifteen. In addition, it canbe found in the A section at measurestwo and five. In the closing section themotive occurs in measures nineteen,twenty-one, twenty-three and twenty-four.The figure as it occurs in the openingand closing sections frequently makesuse of an anacrusis, changing it from afour-note to a five-note pattern.

RHYTHM

Most of the rhythm employed in Ent-fliecht auf Leichten Kahnen, includingthat which arises from the interplay ofnon-rhythmic elements, can be describedas progressing from simple to complex,and generally follows the structural out-lines described previously. All surfacerhythm in section A is generated fromthe use of either an eighth note or aquarter note in six-eight time. With the

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10 THE CHORAL JOURNAL

Page 4: Introducing the Chorus to Atonal Music - acda.org _1975_Kramme_J_I.pdf · highly chromatic works of the late ro- ... sets forth a logical approach to talking ... triadic harmony

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exception of the beginning and end ofthe section, silences are not employed.The same can be said of the closingsection except that silences are intro-duced in the last six measures to helpfurther simplify the over-all texture andbring the piece to a quiet and restfulclose. There is also a gradual tempo de-crease in the closing measures, furtherheightening the loss of rhythmic vitali-ty. (30)Though the middle section indicates a

slower tempo than that of the beginning,the prevailing use of sixteenth notesresults in an increase in both surface andharmonic rhythm. In addition, the rhy-thm generated by the melodic contoursincreases markedly, the canonic distanceis shortened by three beats, and there isgenerally much greater variety in thesurface rhythm as a result of periodicsilences. (31)

TEXTUAL AND HISTORICAL

CONSIDERATIONS

The German art movement that wasjust beginning to be formulated at thetime Webern wrote his Opus Two iscalled expressionism. It represents anantithesis to the French impressionisticmovement that had begun a decade be-fore in the works of Debussy and othercomposers.Expressionism seeks the representa-tion of the single world of feeling inthe particular form of the highlyintensified, all-governing effect, ofinner excitement, of aggressively in-creased dynamics, in tpe workingout of the essence and the symbolicto chaotic depths, in the problema-tic, tragic, senseless, prophetic, etc.Expressionism is an extremely self-centered, completely subjective art.(32)

It grew out of the subjectivism andidealism of the romantic period and isoften thought of as an extension of thatera through an intensification of sub-jective and idealistic elements. (33)Musical expressionism had its roots in

the expanded tonality of Richard Wag-ner's Tristan und Isolde (1859), and canbe found in the music of Anton Bruck-ner and Gustav Mahler where it sharesin a general growing emotional intensi-fication.(34) In Webern's music, its es-sential characteristics are manifestedparticularly in the area of harmonic andmelodic structures.Because of the extension of the har-monic and melodic scope throughincreasing chromaticism and moreremote tonal relations, the traditionaltonal system became either non-existent or, at most, of little signi-ficance. Melodic lines passed fromone tonal center to another morequickly and at the same time melodicintervals became wider, creatinggreater emotional intensity with theconcomitant effect of distortion.Tonal elements were further loosenedby the increasing use of melodic dis-sonance... (35)While the influence of expressionism

upon Webern's harmonic and melodicstructures is obvious, its effect upon histreatment of the text is more subtle.The poem consists of three four-lineverses and the first verse is set exactlyto the music of the A section of Ent-flieht auf Leichten Kahnen. Owing tothe rapid movement of the B section,however, only two lines of the last verseremain as the A section returns. Webern,therefore, makes extensive text repeti-

APRIL 1975 11

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INTRODUCING

tions when setting these last two linesin the closing sections of his music.(36)The resulting distortion of the text isanother example of the influence of Ex-pressionism upon Webern's Opus Two.It is interesting to note the effect the

text has upon the music of the B section.The first encounter with the sixteenthnote rhythms begins with "light-bluedream powers and drunken passions un-folds," and it is here, appropriatelyenough, that Webern employs the four-note motive mentioned previously, allow-ing it to "unfold" in increasingly largerintervallic leaps between th.e third andfourth pitch and by sequentially expand-ing it from a lower to an upper rangein the soprano part. In addition, theopening two and one-half measures ofthe B section make use of all possiblechromatic pitches except D-fl'at, impartingan unmistakable inebriated quality to themusic.(37)

If performers are to reach a trueunderstanding of all the forces whichshape a musical composition, they mustunderstand its history and the social andcultural conditions under which it wasconceived.

Meaning and communication cannotbe separated from the cultural con-text in which they arise. Apart fromthe social condition, there can beneither meaning nor understanding.An understanding of the cultural andstylistic presuppositions of a piece ofmusic is absolutely essential to theanalysis of its meaning. (38)

It is the author's contention that many

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of the techniques employed in the styleof Opus Two are a result of Webern'sintimate contact with the past throughhis studies in musicology.Webern entered Vienna University in

1902 and graduated in 1906 after com-pleting a thesis on the Choralis Con-stantinus of Heinrich Isaac.(39) He studi-ed under Guido Adler who "... embodiedthe type of musicologist who from hisresearches into historical periods farapart in time was able to draw conclu-sions which cut across time-barriers."(40)Latest works of contemporary composerswere often discussed in class, and Adlerinsisted that his students attend all localconcerts, often supplying them with thenecessary tickets.(41)It has been said of Webern that "...

his intimate knowledge of the intricaterhythmic order and complicated textureof medieval and Renaissance music . . .is clearly reflected in many aspects ofhis work." (42) This is particUlarly ap-parent in his Opus Two where the strictconstruction is clearly modeled on theFranco-Netherlands style of the Renais-sance.(43) Specific techniques which heemploys include the pairing of voices,points of imitation, and the manner inwhich the music attempts a literal de-scription of text content, as in the ex-ample noted previously.Perhaps the most important technique

borrowed from a previous age and ap-plied in the composition of Entflieht aufLeichten Kahnen is the doubling of thevoices at the beginning and end, a doub-ling highly reminiscent of the late Eng-lish medieval polyphony based on thirds,sixths, and tenths called Gymel.(44)Whether the similarity in these twotechniques is intentional can only beconjectured, but it is a near certaintythat Webern was aware of the ancientstyle(45) and its similarity to the im-portant fauxbourdou technique of theearly Renaissance.(46)In rehearsing Opus Two, the conductor

can easily emphasize the importance ofthe techniques previously discussedthrough varying the approach to techni-cal mastery. For example, the relationshipof the voices to one another can beaccomplished by pairing different combi-nations for two-part sectional rehearsals.During these sectionals the possibility ofcombinations other than those writtencan also be tried. When rehearsing thealtos and tenors on section A, allow themto begin simultaneously and it will soonbecome apparent that, with the exceptionof the opening unison measure, the tenor,in relation to the alto, now takes on therole of the soprano an octave lower. Con-versely, the alto is to the tenor whatpreviously was the bass, an octave high-er. This same rehearsal technique canalso be used for unison sectiona1s bypairing the proper voices and allowingthem to begin together. Though theseor similar techniques can be utilized forthe middle section, the limited amountof strict canonic writing in the thirdsection limits their effectiveness.

When programming Entflieht aufLeichten Kahnen, the conductor shouldattempt to select some music which usessimilar compositional techniques in acontrasting style. A Josquin des Prezmotet employing several of the techniquesmentioned previously could help boththe performers and their audience tosee Webern's Opus Two in a betterhistorical perspective. In addition, anyof the Lutheran chorale harmonizationsby Max Reger would make effective

warm-up material preceding rehearsals,and the evolution of chromatic harmonyto atonal dissonance would become ap-parent to the performers.A well planned and executed rehearsal

can be the most effective place for stu-dents to share in real musical under-standing and aesthetic meaning.The teacher must help the students,primarily through the actual makingof sounds, to perceive and react tothe expressiveness of the tonal eventsbeing brought to life. All the subtleshadings of perception which arefostered by musical analysis (explora-tion) - showing, manipulating, com-paring, combining, contrasting, ob-serving, clarifying, etc., are immedi-ately available to the teacher and hisstudents in a performing group . . .The more fully the performers graspthe musical content of a piece theyare producing - its melody, harmony,rhythm, texture, etc., - the morefully can they share its musical mean-ing and the more musical can theymake it sound.(47)

The complexity which conductors andperformers frequently confront in atonalmusic need not preclude its use as animportant part of the total music pro-gram.Through careful planning and prepara-

tion using procedures similar to thoseoutlined previously, the early music ofSchoenberg, Berg and Webern and thatof composers employing similar techni-ques can be mastered both technicallyand aesthetically.

FOOTNOTES

1. Norman DelIo Joio, "The Qualityof Music," Music Educator's Journal,XXXVIII (April-May 1962), p. 33.2. Ibid.3. R. Robert Hornyak, "An Analysis

of Student Attitudes Towards Contem-porary American Music," Bulletin No. 8of the Council for Research in MusicEducation (Fall 1966), p. 11.4. DelIo Joio, "The Quality of Music,"

p. 33.5. Gene Lacey, "Contemporary Music

- Solving the Problems in High SchoolGroups," The Instrumentalist, XXVI(March 1970), p. 36.6. Lacey, "Solving the Problems," p. 37.

The author includes an excellent biblio-graphy of materials commonly availablepertaining to the music literature of thiscentury.7. Donald Jay Grout, A History of

Western Music (New York: W. W. Nor-ton & Company, Inc., 1960), p. 567.8. Walter Kolneder, Anton Webern:

An Introduction to His Works, trans. byHumphrey Searle (Berkeley: Universityof California Press, 1968), p. 15.9. Ibid., pp. 31-32.10. Ibid.11. Anton Webern, Entflieht auf Leich-

ten Opus Two (London: Uni-versal Edition, 1921).12. Anton Webern, The Complete Mu-

sic of Anton Webern. Vocal and instru-mental soloists, choral and orchestralgroups, prinicipally associated with theHollywood film studios, conducted byRobert Kraft (Columbia Records, K4L-232).13. Jan LaRue, Guidelines for Style

Analysis (New York: W. W. Norton &Company, 1970), see the backside of thecover.14. Ibid., p. vii.15. Ibid., p. viii.16. Bennett Reimer, A Philosophy of

THE CHORAL JOURNAL

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"A Summer of Music in Princeton"

Write: Charles Schisler, Director of Summer Session

Westminster Choir College, Princeton, N.J. 08540

McKenzie, Wallace C. Jr. The Music ofAnton Webern. Ph.D. dissertation,North Texas State College, 1960.

Meyer, Leonard B. Emotion and Meaningin Music. Chicago: The University ofChicago Press, 1957.

Reimer, Bennett. A Philosophy of MusicEducation. Englewood Cliffs, New Jer-sey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1970.

Stone, Kurt. Record Jacket. The CompleteMusic of Anton Webern. Columbia Re-cords, K4L-232.

Webern, Anton. The Complete Music ofAnton Webern. Vocal and instrumentalsoloists, choral and orchestral groups,principally associated with Hollywoodfilm studios, conducted by RobertKraft. Columbia Records, K4L-232.

Entflieht auf LeichtenKihnen, Opus Two. ,London: UniversalEdition, 1921. t·:

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Company, Inc., 1960.Hornyak, R. Robert. "An Analysis ofStudent Attitudes Towards Contem-porary American Music." Bulletin No.S of the Council for Research in MusicEducation (Fall 1966), 1-14.

Irvine, Demar, (edJ and Hans Molden-hauer, (compiler). Anton Von Webern:Perspectives. Seattle University ofWashington Press, 1966.

Kolender, Walter. Anton Webern: AnIntroduction to His Works. Translatedby Humphrey Searle. Berkeley: Uni-versity of California Press, 1968.

Lasey, Gene. "Contemporary MusicSolving the Problems in High SchoolGroups." The Instrumentalist (March1970), 36-37.

LaRue, Jan. Guidelines for Style Analysis.New York: W. W. Norton & Company,Inc., 1970.

BmLIOGRAPHY

Apel, Willi, (ed). Harvard Dictionary ofMusic. 2nd edition. Cambridge, Massa-chusetts: Harvard University Press,1969.

Bradshaw, Merril K. Tonal Structure inthe Early Works of Anton Webern.Ph.D. dissertation, University of Illi-nois, 1962.

Crawford, David. A conversation in theinstructor's office. University of Michi-gan, August 9, 1971.

DelIo Joio, Norman. "The Quality ofMusic." Music Educator's Journal,XXXXVIII (April-May 1962), 33-35.

Grout, Donald Jay. A History of WesternMusic. New York: W. W. Norton &

Music Education (Englewood Cliffs, NewJersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1970), passim.17. Ibid., pp. 12-26.18. Reimer, A Philosophy of Music

Education, p. 25.19. Wallace C. McKenzie, Jr., The Mu-

sic of Anton Webern (Ph.D. dissertation,North Texas State College, 1960), p. 78.20. Kurt Stone, Record Notes, The

Complete Music of Anton Webern (Co-lumbia Records, K4L-232), p. 15. An al-ternate translation by Olga Marx andErnst Morwitz can be found in TheWorks of Stefan George, University ofNorth Carolina Studies in the GermanicLanguages and Literature, edited byRichard Jente (Chapel Hill, 1949), p. 111.21. Webern, Opus Two.22. Stone, Music of Webern, p. 15.23. McKenzie, The Music of Anton

Webern, p. 79.24. Merril K. Bradshaw, Tonal Struc-

ture in the Early Works of Anton We-bern (Ph.D. dissertation, University ofIllinois, 1962), p. 24.25. Ibid., pp. 24-35.26. Bradshaw, Tonal Structure, p. 21.27. Ibid., p. 30.28 McKenzie, The Music of Anton

Webern, p. 80.29. Ibid., p. 79.30. Ibid, pp. 83-84.31. Ibid.32. Ibid., p. 18. The quote is taken

from a primary source unavailable tothe present writer. Karl H. Worner andWalter Mannzen, "Expressionismus: Wes-enbestimmung, "Die Musik Geschichteund Gegenwart, edited by FriederichBlume, Vol. III (Kassel and Basel, 1954).33. Ibid., p. 20.34. McKenzie, The Music of Anton

Webern, pp. 32-33.35. Ibid.36. Kolneder, An Introduction, p. 30.37. Ibid., p. 31.38. Leonard B. Meyer, Emotion and

Meaning in Music (Chicago: Universityof Chicago Press, 1957), p. ix.39. Kolneder, An Introduction, p. 15.40. Ibid., p. 20.41. Ibid.42. Demar Irvine (ed.), and Hans Mol-

denhauer (compiler), Anton Von We.-bern: Perspectives (Seattle: Universityof Washington Press, 1966), p. 51.43. Kolneder, An Introduction, p. 30.44. Willi Apel (ed), Harvard Diction-

ary of Music, (2nd edition; Cambridge,Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1969),p. 364.45. David Crawford, from a conversa-

tion in the instructor's office, Universityof Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, Au-gust 9, 1971.46. Apel, Harvard Dictionary of Music,

p. 309.47. Reimer, A Philosophy of Music

Education, p. 136.

APRIL 1975 13